My time to beat was 44:10... Todays time....45:11! Dang it! 1 Minute and 1 second slower than my best time.
Today was tough... I just could not turn the pedals over. The wind was not too bad and the temperature was great (low 50's and sunny) but I just could not find my groove. And, of course, my nose was running like a faucet!
It seems if the temp is under 75 degrees, and my heart-rate is over 130, my nose fills up runs like crazy. So, several times during the race, I had to blow my nose ( either that or drown). Also, breathing through my nose is completely out of the question. This "exercise" nose drives me crazy! Most times it just an annoyance but having to fiddle around with blowing my nose is costing me time-- time I can't make up. If anyone out there has any suggestions on what I can do to get my nose under control I will really appreciate it.
My last race of the year will be next Sunday in Bellbrook OH. I started this season with a Time Trial in Bellbrook, so it is great that I'll get to finish the season there too. Hopefully, I'll see an improvement from my first race. My time to beat will be 37:55. We'll see....
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
12 hours of Dauset
I've always liked the trails at Dauset, but what a difference not riding there for over a year can make.
I had worried that the hilly terrain and the heat/humidity would be a challenge for me. The weather, for the most part cooperated, but the terrain-- spanked me like a 4 year old in K-mart!
The day started out a little wet, which made the trail pretty slick with several muddy spots. I haven't rode much in the way of hills and certainly no "rooty" sections since coming up here. So, I was sucking wind on climbs and getting a tad bit nervous riding over the wet roots. But, luckily, no crashes- just a couple of near misses. I skidded out a couple of times in the mud and I somehow rammed my handlebars into a tree once. But, I managed to "keep the rubber side down".
I did make a couple of stupid mistakes though... First, I failed to change my shorts in between laps which caused me considerable discomfort on my second lap. This "discomfort" caused me to constantly "adjust" my sitting position in hopes of finding a "comfortable" (ie. less painful) position on the bike. But, no position really worked, so by the time I finished the lap, my lower back was also hurting pretty bad. My second mistake was that I did not eat enough throughout the day. By the end of the evening, I was feeling pretty sick, so once we had the car packed, I just needed to head on home. This, unfortunately, cause us to miss the the awards. What really ticks me off, is that I know better than to make those stupid mistakes. I was just careless, and did not adhere to my common sense.
The BEST part of the race weekend was seeing our bike friends again and getting to catch up with each other. Hopefully, we'll get to trek back next year and make the "12 hours of Dauset" an annual event. Sounds good to me!
Oh, and the "Homecoming Queens" took 8th Place!
I had worried that the hilly terrain and the heat/humidity would be a challenge for me. The weather, for the most part cooperated, but the terrain-- spanked me like a 4 year old in K-mart!
The day started out a little wet, which made the trail pretty slick with several muddy spots. I haven't rode much in the way of hills and certainly no "rooty" sections since coming up here. So, I was sucking wind on climbs and getting a tad bit nervous riding over the wet roots. But, luckily, no crashes- just a couple of near misses. I skidded out a couple of times in the mud and I somehow rammed my handlebars into a tree once. But, I managed to "keep the rubber side down".
I did make a couple of stupid mistakes though... First, I failed to change my shorts in between laps which caused me considerable discomfort on my second lap. This "discomfort" caused me to constantly "adjust" my sitting position in hopes of finding a "comfortable" (ie. less painful) position on the bike. But, no position really worked, so by the time I finished the lap, my lower back was also hurting pretty bad. My second mistake was that I did not eat enough throughout the day. By the end of the evening, I was feeling pretty sick, so once we had the car packed, I just needed to head on home. This, unfortunately, cause us to miss the the awards. What really ticks me off, is that I know better than to make those stupid mistakes. I was just careless, and did not adhere to my common sense.
The BEST part of the race weekend was seeing our bike friends again and getting to catch up with each other. Hopefully, we'll get to trek back next year and make the "12 hours of Dauset" an annual event. Sounds good to me!
Oh, and the "Homecoming Queens" took 8th Place!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Fall is here!
Well, I think summer is gone. The last couple of days the temperature at night has dropped to the mid 40's with the daytime high only getting up to the mid 60s. Soon, it will be winter again, and I'll be back to riding my bike in the basement. But, until then, if the sun is out, I will be too.
Yesterday was gorgeous- a "textbook" fall day. No humidity, a chill in the air, a bright blue sky and plenty of sun. A perfect day for mountain bike riding. And, as luck would have it, the grand opening of a new Mountain Bike Trail "MoMBA".
This trail is wonderful! About 9 miles of great flowing trails with some good climbs, descents, and technical sections. The trail is extremely well marked and does a great job of letting riders know what difficultly to expect on each trail.
I didn't get to see all of the trail yesterday, but I'm sure we'll be going back there again soon. Can't wait!
Yesterday was gorgeous- a "textbook" fall day. No humidity, a chill in the air, a bright blue sky and plenty of sun. A perfect day for mountain bike riding. And, as luck would have it, the grand opening of a new Mountain Bike Trail "MoMBA".
This trail is wonderful! About 9 miles of great flowing trails with some good climbs, descents, and technical sections. The trail is extremely well marked and does a great job of letting riders know what difficultly to expect on each trail.
I didn't get to see all of the trail yesterday, but I'm sure we'll be going back there again soon. Can't wait!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
John Bryan Fast Lap
The final "Fast Lap" of the Fall Series was last night.
So, for the series my times are:
1st race: 36:29
2nd race: DNF (crashed out)
3rd race: 35:28
I managed to shave 1 minute and 1 second from my previous time-- I'm pretty happy with that!
The "Fast Lap" series has been both challenging and fun. I started doing this series to become a better rider. I think I've met that goal. I've overcome some "mental issues" I had with obstacles and I feel a little more confidant pushing myself to kick my speed up a little.
Next up- The "12 hours of Dauset" on the 22nd. I'm really getting excited about this race. It will really be good to see and ride with the "chit-chat" girls and to hang out with our bike friends again. Can't wait!!!
So, for the series my times are:
1st race: 36:29
2nd race: DNF (crashed out)
3rd race: 35:28
I managed to shave 1 minute and 1 second from my previous time-- I'm pretty happy with that!
The "Fast Lap" series has been both challenging and fun. I started doing this series to become a better rider. I think I've met that goal. I've overcome some "mental issues" I had with obstacles and I feel a little more confidant pushing myself to kick my speed up a little.
Next up- The "12 hours of Dauset" on the 22nd. I'm really getting excited about this race. It will really be good to see and ride with the "chit-chat" girls and to hang out with our bike friends again. Can't wait!!!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
File this under WTF!
The Sep 10, 2007 issue of Time Magazine is reporting that two "Hash House Harriers" are facing felony charges for creating a bio-terrorism scare and forcing hundreds to evacuate a Connecticut Ikea parking lot for sprinkling flour to mark a trail for their local Hash.
Click here for the Time story.
For those unfamiliar with hashing, Wikipedia describes "Hash House Harriers" as an "international group of social, non-competitive running and drinking clubs. Hashing has frequently been described as 'a drinking club with a running problem', and the social element of hashing is of equal importance to the running. The template for a hash run is for one or more hashers (the "hares") to lay out a running trail, which may include false trails, short cuts and trail breaks. They also prefer the use of bio-degradable materials such as flour or sawdust to mark the trail in order to avoid unnecessary problems."
Also according to Wikipedia, this arrest took place on 25 Aug 2007 in New Haven, Connecticut.
What really amazes me is that it seemed perfectly reasonable to "someone" that a terrorist would be carrying around a 5 lb bag of "Anthrax" and would blazingly sprinkle it in a Shopping Center parking lot. What is even more amazing is that this event resulted in the arrest and subsequent felony charges against two people.
Having done a couple of Mountain Bike Hashes- which I must say was great fun- I guess it's a good thing that this "someone" didn't hear them singing their drinking songs- that would have certainly got someone in trouble.
Click here for the Time story.
For those unfamiliar with hashing, Wikipedia describes "Hash House Harriers" as an "international group of social, non-competitive running and drinking clubs. Hashing has frequently been described as 'a drinking club with a running problem', and the social element of hashing is of equal importance to the running. The template for a hash run is for one or more hashers (the "hares") to lay out a running trail, which may include false trails, short cuts and trail breaks. They also prefer the use of bio-degradable materials such as flour or sawdust to mark the trail in order to avoid unnecessary problems."
Also according to Wikipedia, this arrest took place on 25 Aug 2007 in New Haven, Connecticut.
What really amazes me is that it seemed perfectly reasonable to "someone" that a terrorist would be carrying around a 5 lb bag of "Anthrax" and would blazingly sprinkle it in a Shopping Center parking lot. What is even more amazing is that this event resulted in the arrest and subsequent felony charges against two people.
Having done a couple of Mountain Bike Hashes- which I must say was great fun- I guess it's a good thing that this "someone" didn't hear them singing their drinking songs- that would have certainly got someone in trouble.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Update on Colavita TT
The official TT results have been posted.
Comparing the other ladies (in my class) times to their July times, it looks like the headwind slowed us all down:
AM was 0:01:00 slower
SN was 0:02:06 slower
and
JS was 0:01:56 slower
I was 0:00:08 slower
But, the best part is, I managed to reduced the time gaps between me and each of the the other ladies in my category. I'm still not "competitive" - but I've improved. And that is why I'm out there.
I have one more Colavita TT and then I'm planning to wrap up the season where I started. Bellbrook is having another TT on 7 OCT. I'm hoping it will be the same course as the March race. My goal- see a noticeable improvement from my first race.
Comparing the other ladies (in my class) times to their July times, it looks like the headwind slowed us all down:
AM was 0:01:00 slower
SN was 0:02:06 slower
and
JS was 0:01:56 slower
I was 0:00:08 slower
But, the best part is, I managed to reduced the time gaps between me and each of the the other ladies in my category. I'm still not "competitive" - but I've improved. And that is why I'm out there.
I have one more Colavita TT and then I'm planning to wrap up the season where I started. Bellbrook is having another TT on 7 OCT. I'm hoping it will be the same course as the March race. My goal- see a noticeable improvement from my first race.
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